


As You Wish

by SilveryxDark



Category: Alice Nine
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Master/Servant, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 02:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2565695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilveryxDark/pseuds/SilveryxDark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a service where one can hire a "servant" for a day or more, to be treated like royalty. For Saga's birthday, his best friend Nao hires him a particularly handsome man named Tora. Of course, no relationships are allowed...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic has its roots in a little twitter convo I had with my friend who stumbled upon this site: manservants.co  
> And I kinda just ran with it, because hey, servant/butler!Tora! Everyone wants to see that, right? Right. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this!

When Saga wakes up on the morning of his twenty-fifth birthday, it’s not entirely voluntarily - rather, it’s due to the insistent knocking on the door at some ungodly hour in the morning… Well, all right, Saga checks his phone and it’s ten in the morning, which isn’t that ungodly, but damn it, a man has the right to sleep in on his own birthday, doesn’t he?

Still, he’s sleeping over at his best friend’s house, after he insisted on some “pre-birthday party” at the nearby bar. More like several rounds of drinking, really. On the bright side, he doesn’t have a hangover, because he’s perfectly capable of holding his own liquor. What isn’t so bright is the fact that he spent the next three hours of his birthday (ie from two to five am) gaming and fell asleep around five-thirty.

It’s Nao, though, and one does not simply ignore their best friend.

“Saaaagaaaaa! Are you up?” Nao’s voice yells. “Good morning! Happy birthday!”

Saga groans and rolls over in the bed, before sitting up. “I’m getting up! Wait a moment!”

Unexpectedly (or maybe expectedly, since it’s Nao after all), Nao opens the door and Saga very nearly pulls the covers up over himself. Not that he needs to, considering that they’re both guys and he’s actually wearing a ratty t-shirt and boxers, so he’s decent, but still. Arisa, Nao’s fiancee, hovers in the door with a smile, giving Nao a fond, if exasperated, look.

“Happy birthday! Your present’s here!” Nao says.

Saga blinks. “My present… is here?” That’s odd phrasing. Maybe they ordered it and it only just arrived?

“Can I at least go brush my teeth or whatever first?” Saga yawns.

Nao nods, grinning a little too maniacally for Saga’s taste. Just what the fuck did he get Saga? Saga ponders this as he washes his face and brushes his teeth. New games? Nah, he wouldn’t be half this excited. Maybe that bass guitar he was eyeing… But no, as rich as Nao is, shipping would cost a bomb. And Nao’s excitement seems… off.

Saga walks out of the room, then, going down the steps. What - or rather, who - he doesn’t expect at the foot of the stairs, seemingly waiting for him, is the singularly hottest man he has ever laid his eyes upon, in a well-cut suit. He is tall and absolutely _gorgeous_ , with black, slightly long, hair, a sharp, high nose, piercing hazel eyes, and a gentle smile on thin lips.

“Uh,” Saga manages.

“Happy birthday, my lord,” the man says. “I am Tora.”

Dear God, that is the sexiest voice Saga has _ever_ heard. Deep and measured and perfect. Oh God. They haven’t even met for a minute and Saga’s already unbelievably attracted to him.

“Uh,” Saga says again.

Brilliant, really, that’s _all_ his mind can come up with now?

“So, how do you like him?” Nao says from around the corner, and that’s what snaps Saga out from his thoughts.

“What? You? Him? Huh?” Saga babbles. “Explain? Can you?”

 _Ohfuckohfuckohfuck_ Saga is totally embarrassing himself right now, and he honestly has no idea what the hell is going on. Nao laughs, not unkindly, and says, "Oh, I think you need to sit down for this one.”

Saga follows Nao to the living room, as Tora trails along behind him. When Saga sits down, Tora’s standing attentively next to him, hands clasped. He’s dead aware of the faintly amused smile playing on Tora’s lips, and of the fact that while Tora’s dressed sharply in his suit, he’s dressed in nothing more than a ratty, oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts.

“Are you comfortable, my lord?” Tora says, and Saga startles, nodding quickly.

Nao grins and says, “First things first - Tora, or rather, his service, is your present. Long story short, remember Shou’s sister’s wedding party? Yeah, Shou found out about this manservant service where you can hire someone for a night to basically serve you personally and make you feel like a queen, king, whatever.

They have an extended service for up to five days, where they will be a live-in servant and companion, and Shou and I thought… why the hell not? For your twenty-eighth birthday. Since it was coming up and everything.”

Tora starts speaking and Saga looks up at him (and god, he is very, _very_ tall). “I can do anything that you require, my lord - carrying your bags when we are out, being your personal assistant at your workplace, picking you up, buying your drinks for you, and driving you home if you’re out drinking… Things like that. And of course, serving you and your guests at your birthday party tonight.”

Saga responds with a simple, “Oh.”

Well, not fantastic, but better than his incoherent babbling just minutes before.

“There are rules and stuff, though,” Nao pipes up again. “Like, no relationships or something, right?”

Tora inclines his head. “That is correct. No inappropriate advances - although a little, ah, harmless flirting is fine - and we have the right to a safe and non-abusive working environment. In the case of injuries, our client is liable to pay any bills incurred. I will follow all orders you issue me, save for anything I deem unreasonable or life-threatening.”

Saga nods. “Okay. Right.”

"Would you like to try, my lord?" Tora asks with a smile.

Saga blinks slowly. "Two things, then. First... please take a seat, anywhere you'd like. I don't want you standing and being uncomfortable on my account, please. And secondly, um, please don't call me, uh, 'lord'. Honestly, please just call me by name. Saga. No weird honorifics either, just that. "

Tora looks nonplussed. And then after a moment, "As you wish, Saga-san."

He sits down next to Saga, his back ramrod straight, palms down on his thighs. Saga reminds him again to relax, and is still trying very hard to wrap his mind around all this. Still, seeing Tora's shoulders droop a little, his posture relaxing, makes Saga feel better.

It's only then that Saga realises Nao's left them alone. Saga quickly turns back to Nao, scratching the back of his neck. "Is it okay if I ask you some questions?"

"Yes, certainly, I will do my best to answer them," Tora says with a warm smile.

"You said you're going to be a live-in servant, right? So um. You'll be coming home with me, won't you? Just that, well, I'm not really like Nao. I live alone in a rather small apartment, and while you won't have to crash on the couch or anything, the spare room is kind of small... I'm sorry, I'm not totally set up yet to have someone stay over."

Tora's smile doesn't falter one bit - if anything it takes on a tinge of amusement. "That's perfectly all right, Saga-san," he says. “It’s all right, I am, after all, to live as your servant for a few days, and would be more than happy to help you settle your apartment when we return… tomorrow, yes?”

“T-that’s right, yeah,” Saga says, nodding. “God, I’m sorry, I’m still so confused and am halfway convinced Nao just pulled an elaborate prank on me but...”

"No, no, it's alright. If our positions were reversed and I found someone as attractive as you waiting to attend to me, I'd be surprised too," Tora says, voice gentle and teasing.

Saga finds his cheeks warming at that, and responds in a rush, "Thank you? Ugh, you must be used to serving other types, fancy rich people and all. I'm probably a bit of a disappointment, huh."

Tora actually laughs, then, and Saga blushes furiously, turning to look at Tora. He wonders if he said something weird, but Tora doesn’t seem to be laughing _at_ him. Tora takes a moment to compose himself, and apologises, grinning.

“Saga-san... You’re right, I am used to serving wealthy people, but… outside of work, I’m really just a regular guy, living in a tiny apartment, cooking for myself or calling for delivery if I’m too tired,” Tora explains, and then hesitates. “Oh, I’m not sure I should have said so much.”

  
“No, it’s fine! Makes me feel, you know. Normal. You. Normal. God, that was terrible,” Saga mutters under his breath, cringing at how incoherent he’s being again. “I mean… This is a wonderful, um, gift. And… you know, you’re obviously very… very handsome. And you’re nice. And well… it’s really nice knowing that you’re more like me than I thought. Just another regular guy, aren’t you?”

“That, I am. But for today and the next four days...” he says, reaching out to take Saga’s hand, “I serve you, Saga-san.”

Really, Saga isn’t sure how he’s going to survive the week.

-

Surprisingly enough, the rest of the day goes well without having Saga embarrass himself further (he thinks). What happens is that he and Tora go back to his place for a while. Saga tells Tora about the layout, appliances and such, and together they clear the clutter in the spare room, tidying it up enough, and unpack Tora’s bags in the spare room.

Also, Tora drives. Saga’s used to taking the train all the time, and having someone chauffeur him around is quite nice, actually. Tora is unfailingly polite and charming the whole time, making him feel wanted and special. Granted, it's just his job to do so, but he's so good at it that Saga often forgets it's little more than an act. Or maybe not, because Tora seems so genuine about serving him that Saga can actually believe it.

He drives them back to Nao’s house, then, where Shou and a younger man Saga doesn’t recognise have arrived. Tora, however, seems to recognise him, calling out to him.

“Hiroto-kun?”

Hiroto looks up at him, surprised, and then smiles. “Ah, Tora-san! I didn’t know you had a job here!”

Saga blinks owlishly at him, and back at Tora, and then Shou. Shou, who is usually confident and charismatic with a smile to make just about anyone fall at his feet, actually looks kind of shy, his cheeks reddened.

“Ah, I should introduce Hiroto-kun!” Shou says. “Nao probably already told you about the whole manservants business, but anyway, I hit it off with Hiroto during my sister’s party so… I thought to hire him for a few days, too.”

Hiroto is younger than all of them, perhaps by about three years or so. He looks rather like a squirrel - bright-eyed and eager and energetic, greeting Saga and Tora enthusiastically, and wishing Saga a happy birthday. Most notably, though, he’s highly attentive to Shou, responding to him at lightning speed and looking at him with admiring eyes.

“How long have you served Shou-san?” Tora asks quietly, smiling kindly.

“Ah, today’s the third day! It’s a five-day contract,” Hiroto replies brightly, catching Shou’s eye and smiling sweetly.

Shou calls him over to help with the decorations, and Saga nudges Tora’s arm. “I thought you said no relationships.”

Tora pauses, frowning slightly. “No, I don’t believe that they are… together. Look at the way they’re carrying themselves, they’re trying not to be too close, but they want to. Maybe after the contract is over then… well, there’s nothing stopping them at all, truthfully speaking.”

Huh. Maybe Saga has a chance. And maybe he really shouldn’t be having inappropriate thoughts about the man standing next to him, but he can’t help feeling attracted to someone like _him_. Trust Nao to know exactly his type.

The rest of the afternoon passes with the further preparation of food and drinks for the party, making sure that it’s all decorated nicely, dressing up and such. Saga’s not allowed to see the cake, and Tora drags him off laughingly as it’s delivered.

People start arriving in the evening, the first being Saga’s family. Saga finds himself babbling and blushing when they (especially his younger brother and sister) tease him about “the handsome young man attending to you”, and he realises that they, too, were _totally_ in on the manservant thing.

Frankly, not that many people have been invited. Nao’s holding the party, sure, because he grew up with Saga and insists on making it special instead of having Saga go out drinking again at that tiny bar near his apartment. Saga rarely gets along well with people, though.

Some of Saga’s extended family members arrive, like a couple of aunts and a few cousins he likes. Then there’s his colleagues, the people he works with at the studio with whom he gets along reasonably well, on the account of having worked with them for the past few years.

There’s a couple of ex-classmates he liked, and all in all, it’s not quite so lavish a party, but it’s small and comfortable, the way that Saga likes things.

Saga drinks, as usual. Or rather, he plays games until Shou yells at him for hogging the console and not being a sociable birthday boy, and Saga’s protests of, “But it’s _my_ birthday!” are to no avail. He discovers that Tora is also good at bartending, and Saga starts playing drinking games with his colleagues, downing the cocktails Tora makes and the shots he pours.

He notices that Tora is attentive and clearly concerned with his drinking habits, seemingly reluctant to pour more drinks for him before the cake’s brought out. “Don’t worry,” Saga tells him with a wide grin. “I can _totally_ hold my liquor!”

“As you say, Saga-san,” Tora says, and the worry in his voice makes Saga feel a twinge of guilt, and he definitely drinks a little less after that.

Sometime later, after several more drinks, Arisa carries out the cake, and Nao gathers everyone with a loud voice. Saga almost chokes on air when he sees the design - it’s iced to look like a giant slice of pizza, and he’s nearly disappointed to find out that it’s actually vanilla and mango cake underneath.

Saga’s flushed but still completely coherent, and beams as he thanks everyone for coming to the party and celebrating his birthday, and Nao in particular for organizing it (and, after a moment’s hesitation, thanks him for his “present”, too).

When he cuts the first slice of cake, Saga passes it to Tora, insisting that he eat it. There are a couple of giggles and he ignores them, and he cuts more slices, passing them to his family members. Then,Saga’s brother  his sistertakes over the cake-cutting, handing him a slice on a plate and insisting that Saga sit down with his friends. insisting that he sit with his friends and enjoy his cake.

He isn't sure why exactly he does it, but as he sits down with Tora, Nao, Shou and Hiroto, Nao, Shou and Hiroto, he slurs out, "Can you feed me, Tora-san?"

Without missing a beat, Tora replies, "As you wish, Saga-san."

Saga realises how  realises how drunk he really is he really is and giggling as Tora feeds him his cake, carefully cutting off bits with a plastic fork. When he's done, he even wipes Saga's mouth for him gently. In his drunken haze, Saga loves it, and he smiles up at Tora.

The party is concluded sometime before midnight, owing to it being a weekday night. By then, Saga doesn’t really remember details by then, but he’s vaguely aware of being carried into a car, of Tora’s arms doing so. Somewhere he falls asleep, only to be woken up somewhat by being gently helped to his apartment and then his bed.

Before he falls asleep, he has a moment of clarity, looking up at Tora. “Thank you,” he mumbles, and he’s out.


	2. Wednesday

Wednesday, 8:00

Tora wakes up at seven-thirty in the morning in a futon that is not his own. For a brief moment, he’s confused, and then he remembers. The job, right. Serving as manservant for a week to Saga.

He smiles when he thinks about Saga. It’s rare that he serves someone who doesn’t belong to the higher echelons of society, to put it bluntly. He’s used to serving people who are used to, well, being served. Not that they're rude and bitchy (well, a few are) but he's never been made to feel so much like a friend. On these kinds of extended assignments, he's always been conscious of his status and job.

The night-long jobs are more varied, of course, since they're considerably cheaper. However, he's still never met someone quite like Saga. Saga is clearly unused to this. And the fact that his first “order” - more like a request, honestly - was to get Tora to sit and make himself comfortable is telling of his personality. Oh, there’s also the fact that he's cute. God, is he cute. Tora nearly wishes there wasn't that one rule in place.

He washes up and dresses quickly. There's a schedule to follow - Saga wakes up at eight, and is out of the house by nine for work. He returns around seven, and usually goes to bed after midnight.

Considering how much Saga drank, Tora thinks it best to bring in some water and a painkiller for him. He also notes the ingredients that Saga has (paltry, really) and reminds himself to buy groceries for him.

Five minutes after eight, Tora promptly knocks on the door. "Saga-san, may I come in?"

“Uh, yeah - oh shit!” Saga's voice yells, just as Tora opens the door.

Tora sees Saga fall from his bed and onto the floor, in a tangle of bedsheets. Saga looks so embarrassed that Tora can't help but smile the tiniest bit as he puts down the tray quickly and rushes to help Saga up. Saga looks like he's about to cover his face in the sheets, determinedly not meeting Tora's eyes.

“Thank you,” Saga says after he's up, wincing. “God, I’m so sorry. I’m… I’m a mess when I’m drunk, I’m stupid, I say and do stupid things...”

“That’s alright,” Tora says and blurts out, "You… you were quite cute, you know, And it’s not like you were rude or violent. All you did was ask me to feed you. And you passed out a bit, but I’ve gotten used to having to send clients home. You even thanked me at the end. That’s… not all that common.”

“Really?” Saga says, and takes the proffered water and painkillers, swallowing gratefully. “Ah, thank you.”

“It was no problem, Saga-san. I thought you might have needed that. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Tora asks.

“I - I, uh… no, I’m fine,” Saga replies, toying with the hem of his shirt. “Um… what will you be doing while I’m at work? We didn't discuss that.”

Tora frowns slightly. They hadn't talked about that, yes. "There are some workplaces that allow our presence. Would your office permit it?"

"If I ran it, maybe, yeah. But no, I'm lower on the ranks. I mean, it's a fairly open studio, but I don't think they would like it if I brought another guy in. Sorry. I don’t totally know, but… yeah," Saga sighs.

"So... I could help clean your house, run errands... Ah, and have lunch and dinner with you when you're having your breaks," Tora suggests. “Does that sound acceptable?”

Yeah… I think that sounds okay. Thank you,“ Saga replies. “But… I don’t know, there isn’t really much to do. You could just go out and have fun or go home and… do whatever you want to do, really. I’ve got a PS3 here, you can play that, or something. I don’t want you to be bored out of your mind. As long as you don’t override any saves, I’m cool!”

Saga's constant consideration surprises Tora. Perhaps he should have expected it by now, but then again, he's not used to a client so friendly and kind. He smiles and bows, thanking Saga.

Saga blushes, and Tora thinks about how pretty he looks, and then he mentally curses himself for thinking so. He's not supposed to have. such thoughts about a client, no matter how attractive or good.

He’s about to turn and leave the room when Saga asks, "Hey, wait. Have you had breakfast?"

"Hm? No, it's proper only to eat after you have," Tora explains.

Saga frowns. "No. You eat with me, okay? Just prepare something for both of us if you have to, but I want to eat with you."

Tora feels like it's his turn to blush, and instead nods and thanks him again. He leaves Saga to shower, and goes off to fix breakfast - toast with eggs, and coffee. Saga comes out soon after he’s set the plates, and he’s smiling at him.

“Thank you so much,” he says, sitting down opposite Tora. “Come on, let’s eat!”

He digs into his meal with relish, taking big bites. Tora eats with less reserve than he usually would on a job - and they talk. Saga talks about his job as a studio engineer enthusiastically, and asks Tora about his own work.

“How did you start doing this? It doesn’t seem like a typical career choice at all,” Saga asks, sipping his coffee.

Tora shrugs and laughs. “Frankly, I came out of college with an engineering degree, because my dad really wanted me to do it. I was pretty good, actually… But after a few years I felt… bored. Stifled. I’d been working in the same company for about four years, in the same small town - where I grew up - and… I thought that I wanted to do something new.”

“This was your first choice?” Saga asks - there’s no incredulity or malice in his voice, just pure curiosity.

Tora grins. “Kind of. I mean, I was browsing the web, looking up new jobs, and I found this. The Japanese branch had just started a couple months before, and were recruiting people. I did research, found it reliable, and interviewed as a manservant. A month of training later, I became an official manservant. A year on, here I am.”

Saga smiles at him. “That sounds pretty cool, actually. As long as you’re enjoying your job, that’s great!”

It’s certainly the most positive reaction that Tora’s ever had while telling someone of how he got the job. His own family members thought at first he was off to become some kind of prostitute (and he had to explain that no, he wasn’t having sex with clients, he was just being a butler-for-hire of sorts and they calmed down, even if they were still a little disapproving), and some of his more traditional friends and ex-colleagues were disdainful.

Still, the pay’s been excellent, and he’s certainly never bored. Meeting attractive men like Saga is a bonus, he supposes, though it’s not something he can possibly hope to act on.

Tora drives a sleepy Saga to his studio. They talk a little at first, but then Saga starts to nod off in the shotgun seat, and Tora doesn't really mind. He gently wakes Saga as he pulls over in front of the building, tapping his shoulder.

Saga blinks awake slowly, and Tora thinks about how cute he looks for a moment before banishing the thought. "Ahh, sorry," Saga says. "Thank you so much!"

Before Saga leaves the car, Tora asks about the ingredients in the house, and Saga ponders for a moment.

“I buy takeout a lot, actually,” he says sheepishly. “Though… hey, maybe we can go grocery shopping together after work, if you know what to pick! Come meet me after my work’s over?”

“Of course. I'm supposed to chauffeur you back too, you know,” Tora agrees, and bids him farewell.

With that, Tora’s left alone. He drives back to the apartment building. He starts off by cleaning up Saga's place - Saga isn’t dirty by any means, but he is living alone and there’s a fair amount of clutter, like a typical man his age. Tora doesn’t mind this work - at least he feels useful, and he’s used to having to do this at home, too. He wonders if he can go home and visit his pet cat Chicken, that he’s entrusted to his neighbour for the week. Maybe not.

He tidies the outer rooms first, arranging things in neat piles and making the place spick and span. Then he cleans the bathroom, and after some deliberation, Saga’s room. He makes the bed and sweeps the floor, leaving everything else untouched, before he takes a rest in his own guest room.

There are still a few hours left before he’s going to meet Saga for lunch, though. He plans out meals, then, thinking of a list of ingredients and dishes he’s able to prepare. He’s not the best at cooking (that distinction goes to Hiroto), but he’s good enough to whip up simple meals, and a couple others of average difficulty.

And then he ponders what else he has to do. He’s really never been quite so free before, often tagging along with his clients wherever they go, restricted to reading or using his phone during times when he’s not allowed to follow.

What the hell, he thinks, he might as well take up Saga’s offer of playing games. He switches on the television set and console, sorting through the games. He promptly finds and loads a shooter game, and sets an alarm to remind him of when to leave the house.

There’s no saved game, so Tora starts a new one, happily spending the next couple of hours killing pixelated enemies and going through the story. He’s almost reluctant to stop playing when his phone starts ringing, but he quickly saves his game, keeps the console, and starts preparing to leave the house.

He reaches the studio in a shorter time than he did this morning, what with the heavier traffic earlier. He can't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of eating with Saga, and takes out his phone to text him that he's arrived.

It's just then that Saga appears, leaving the building. He seems just as happy, waving to Tora. Then there’s a few people following Saga, smirking and laughing. Saga seems vaguely embarrassed, then, waving them away before he heads towards Tora.

"Hey," Saga says softly, smiling at him. "I hope you spent the past few hours doing something fun."

"I did do some cleaning. Then I played a game on your PS3 for a couple of hours. Noticed you have two controllers, and thought that if you wanted, we could play together," Tora grins.

“Yeah, sure, maybe tonight! I’ve played everything, I’m good!" Saga replies.

Tora laughs. "You're on. Then, Saga-san, where would you like to eat?"

\--

Tora finds out that Saga's told his colleagues about him, no thanks to having seen him at the party and assuming he was Saga's boyfriend. And that they'd like to meet him, so he's allowed into their office for the day.

He meets them all, and he sees them smirk at Saga and talk to him teasingly. Saga looks flustered and shy and all too adorable, which Tora quite likes, truth be told.

"So, are you his new boyfriend? You don’t look like his type..." says some guy Tora can’t remember the name of.

"Shut up," Saga says immediately, strained laughter in his voice, as he glances towards Tora. "He's not even my boyfriend."

Tora smiles warmly at him, though he feels a stab of annoyance. Not at Saga, really, but that tone implying he's another hookup, and Saga's pained expression. He wants to reassure Saga, though their situation must be hard to explain in full.

The awkwardness passes, though, and Tora gets to sit back and watch Saga at work. He seems to change there, focused entirely on doing a proper job. He's serious and sure, fingers working the knobs and buttons Tora can't make sense of, studying the screens and listening intently to tracks.

It's six-thirty before Saga leaves with Tora, and Tora realises he's spent hours just in the studio, talking to people and watching Saga and using his phone once in a while. It's not a bad way to spend his time, after all. They eat curry rice at a nearby shop Saga swears by, before taking the train back to their neighbourhood.

Saga is a little picky, Tora discovers, when they're buying ingredients at the supermarket. He's almost childlike in his insistence on buying certain items, and on avoiding others. Frankly, it's kind of adorable. Tora does draw the line at buying one too many packs of frozen pizza, though, only conceding two to the shopping cart.

"But I love pizza!" Saga whines.

"And it's not that great for you. You need proper meals," Tora teases.

"I thought you were going to listen to me," Saga blurts out with a childish pout.

Tora takes a moment before answering. No, he really hasn't been listening to Saga's demands. If anything, he's been acting more like his real self. It's funny how he's slipped without knowing.

"Well... If you really wish me to..." he says, in an effort to get back into the mood.

"Wait, no," Saga says quickly. "I mean, um... Look, I like that you're being more informal. It's relaxing. I don't feel like I'm screwing up as much..."

"Yeah, okay. As you wish," Tora says lightly, making sure that his tone is friendly.

Saga looks relieved. "Thank you. Come on then, I think I have to pay!"

Later at home, Saga confesses to being unable to play with him as he's got paperwork to complete. He does, however, let Tora play alone, while he does his work sitting next to Tora, often oohing and aahing. Tora feels just a little puffed up pride from that.

It's not long, however, before Tora feels pressure against his shoulder. Saga's fallen asleep, a peaceful smile on his face. Very carefully, Tora turns off the console and television, puts Saga's papers aside, and carries him to his room. Saga appears so tired that he doesn't wake up once.

Tora's supervisor, Aoi, calls, barely ten minutes after Tora's put Saga to bed. "Good evening! Progress report?"

"It's all good, thanks. We're getting along really well," Tora grins.

"Oh, great! And you're okay? No inappropriate advances, nothing?" Aoi asks.

"No, no, not at all, sir," Tora says, fidgeting slightly with his shirt.

"Alright, good. Goodnight then, I'll talk to you tomorrow!" Aoi responds, hanging up.

Tora figures it's about time he got some rest as well. Day two has gone spectacularly, as has day one. He smiles to himself at a job well done.


	3. Thursday

Saga wonders if Tora's sick of it, having to carry Saga to his own bed two nights in a row. It's embarrassing, and he thought yesterday had been going so well.

There was very little awkwardness there, and for all intents and purposes they might as well have just been friends. Tora's good at shooting and survival games, it seems, and Saga couldn't help cheering him on last night, and getting a gorgeous smile in return. And then he fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from work... And woke up in his own bed, covered safely and warmly in his blanket.

"Thanks a lot," Saga says, chewing on the eggs Tora's cooked for them. "I swear I don't usually sleep outside of my bed!"

Tora laughs. "It's alright. I'd be an asshole if I didn't help you."

Saga snorts. "Tell that to Shou. Back in college, we used to stay up all night competing in a game and I'd conk out first. He never bothered helping me up... Or maybe he was just really weak. He's always been skinny."

"Well, okay, I'd be an asshole if I was strong enough to help you, yet didn't," Tora amends with a wide grin. "Plus it's not like you're heavy or anything. Speaking of that, I should cook more for you."

"I've always been skinny," Saga admits. "No matter how much I eat, I stay like this. And I'm too lazy to bulk up at the gym."

"Well, you do look good the way you are," Tora says.

"Thanks. You're not bad yourself," Saga responds.

Tora gives a little shrug, looking slightly embarrassed. "Thank you. I'm supposed to be the one complimenting you, you know."

Saga giggles around a mouthful of eggs. "I'm just saying it like it is. Anyway! Do you want to come to the studio with me today? They're pretty cool about it. And if you get bored, I've got my PS Vita."

"As you wish. Though, I brought my own," Tora replies, his smile amused, eyes sparkling.

Saga cheerfully continues eating. He liked having Tora around at work the previous day, just being there with him. It's not that he doesn't get along well with his colleagues - he does - but the rapport he's built up with Tora over a mere couple of days is entirely different and refreshing. His colleagues are the type of guys he wouldn't really bother hanging out with on his own initiative, but he clicks with Tora the same way he clicks with Nao and Shou.

On the way to the studio in Tora's company's car, they chat about other things, like their pets (Saga's family has a dog, Chiko, that they've had for over a decade, while Tora recently bought a cat that he named Chicken.)

"Why... Chicken?" Saga asks, nonplussed.

With a grin, Tora explains, "Because he's a total coward and is frightened of everything. So, a chicken! And he likes eating that. Though, he's probably braver than me in some aspects..."

"Braver? Really? You seem so big and tough," Saga giggles.

Tora's cheeks are tinted pink as he replies, "Yeah, well... He catches insects for me. I really don't like them."

"You're scared?" Saga teases, and the further reddening of Tora's cheeks tell him all he needs to know. "Aw, that's cute."

Tora just sighs, but there's a little smile on his face anyway. They talk even more, like their favourite music (in which they have fairly similar tastes), Tora's engineering days (boring, tiring, and difficult), Saga's childhood dream (he wanted to be a soccer player for Arsenal), little things like that. Chatting this way, it's not long before they reach the studio.

"Good morning," he greets everyone, and ignores the smirks and looks he gets from his colleagues.

Tora seems to be handling everything admirably, greeting everyone with great charm and politeness. There are a couple of people simpering at him, though, and Saga feels a stab of unnecessary jealousy. Tora's an enormously attractive man, in his charming persona - and above all, not Saga's boyfriend in any way. Saga tells himself he has no right.

He focuses on the schedule he has for the day instead. He has a couple of tracks to mix today, a few hours of work for every track. He's left alone with his colleague, Reita, for the most part. Tora is given free reign of a couple of rooms. Saga's absorbed enough in his work that he kind of forgets about Tora's presence - or rather, the awareness of his presence simply sits in his mind like a warm little nest.

When lunchtime rolls around, Saga stretches and leaves the room he's been in. The first thing he sees and hears is one of the other staff members, a woman named Mei, chatting to Tora and asking him out for lunch.

Again, there’s that horrible pang of jealousy. Saga forces himself to smile just as Tora sees him. Tora looks worried, then, and Saga knows it must show on his face, anyway. Mei turns to Saga, looking embarrassed, and then Tora says something to her, to which she nods and leaves quickly.

Saga just stands rooted to the spot the entire time, somehow unable to will himself to just move. It’s only when Mei leaves that he finds he can walk, going up to Tora.

“Are you alright, Saga?” Tora asks at once.

“Y-yeah, of course,” Saga replies. “It’s a bit tiring, work. Let’s go eat, shall we?”

Tora frowns. “Are you sure? You didn’t look very happy...”

Saga does grin this time, feeling a poisonous surge of anger at himself. “It’s nothing. Like I said… I’m tired, yeah? Anyway, let’s have lunch!”

Tora doesn’t press it, but he looks concerned anyway. “All right. Where do you want to go today?”

As the walk out of the studio, Saga is aware of the heightened tension between them, and he wants to kick himself for causing it. They don’t talk this time, at least not till they start ordering at the curry restaurant, and Tora talks about how his mum cooks excellent curry, and he misses it.

“Maybe you can have it the next time you go back there,” Saga says gently.

Tora smiles at him. “Yeah. I go back about once every three, four months. At least there’s flexibility in this job, so I can arrange days off more easily.”

“That’s good. Ah, I miss my mum’s cooking as well,” Saga muses. “I moved out only a few months ago, you know.”

“That explains the delivery and conbini bentos, huh,” Tora grins.

“Hey, they taste good! And pizza is awesome,” Saga protests. “We can order pizza tonight!”

“No, I’m going to cook you a proper meal tonight,” Tora says, poking Saga’s nose lightly. “Maybe pizza on another day, but I’m not going to let the ingredients we bought yesterday go to waste!”

Saga wrinkles his nose at Tora. “It’d better be good, then.”

“It will,” Tora promises, smiling widely. “If you really hate it, then you can order pizza. Deal?”

“Deal,” Saga says, pointing his spoon at Tora with a laugh.

Like that, the tension’s broken. Mostly, anyway. Saga hopes Tora won’t ask him again about what happened, because the truth would most certainly count as an inappropriate advance.

Still, they eat and talk like they always do, and Tora doesn’t press the issue. Returning to the studio, Tora stays with Saga in his office, venturing outside only to use the bathroom.

“Aren’t you bored?” Saga asks during a short water break, swiveling around in his chair.

Tora pauses his game, looking up. “Hm? Why would I be?”

Saga shrugs. “I mean, well… Is it boring for you to be sitting there and gaming for hours? I feel bad just… making you sit there the whole day...”

“I’m fine. And anyway, I’m having a lot of fun playing these,” Tora says, waving the console a little bit. “There’s a surprising number of games you haven’t played, actually.”

“Yeah, Nao bought me a couple of them because he really wanted me to play with him, but I didn’t really like them so I haven’t bothered saving or anything,” Saga laughs. “So, you’re a bit of a gaming otaku, are you?”

Tora shrugs, looking slightly embarrassed. “You got me there. I’m really a giant nerd beneath it all.”

“It’s fine,” Saga assures him. “It’s relaxing being around you like this. I’d be even more tongue-tied and awkward if you were all manservant-y around me.”

“You’re alright, really. Don’t worry about it,” Tora chuckles, standing up to get a cup of water, which he then passes to Saga. “For you. Don’t get dehydrated.”

Saga thanks Tora with a slight stammer, and drinks the water gratefully. “Though, Tora?” he says after finishing it. “You’re really kind anyway. That doesn’t change.”

Tora inclines his head, a slight smile forming on his lips. “Thank you. I try to be a decent human being, mostly.”

Saga smiles at him, assuring him that he is one, before he has to turn back to his work. It goes smoothly, and Saga’s mood is buoyed by Tora’s soothing presence. At least, everything goes smoothly till Yuura comes in, looking worried.

“We got a problem. One of the final tracks got corrupted, we have to remix them,” he says, looking pissed off. “Problem with saving with the system, I think we have to work overtime if we’re going to finish it on time.”

“Overtime?” Saga says darkly, looking at Reita. “I got it.”

“Fuck. Fine, yeah,” Reita mutters.

Saga runs a hand through his hair, and turns to Tora. “Hey. Tora, I’m sorry. I think I’ll have to pass on your offer of a homecooked dinner. You head on home first.”

“I can’t do that,” Tora says. “I’ll stay -”

“No,” Saga cuts him off decisively. “Go on home, I shouldn’t be making you stay when you can go back and get a good night’s rest. I’m probably not going to be home till the early morning anyway.”

“He’s right,” Reita adds. “This isn’t the first time that it’s happened. Not that it happens often, mind you, but there have been a couple of occasions we’ve had to stay overnight to finish it all. Heck, we barely even have time to go out and get a decent dinner.”

Tora looks at them both with a frown before turning back to Saga, “Can I do one thing for you - all of you - at least?”

Saga blinks. “What?”

“Help you guys buy dinner, anything else you might need,” Tora says. “Go to the conbini and get you drinks to last through the night or whatever, things like that. It’s the least I could do, at least.”

Saga hesitates, and then nods. “If you want to.”

He feels terrible making Tora do all that for him - and everyone seems a little uncomfortable with accepting Tora’s offer, too - but Tora charms them all, helping them without a single complaint. Saga can’t help but admit that it’s a good thing Tora’s around to help, and he does feel at ease knowing that something so basic is settled, and gets back to work.

He doesn’t notice Tora coming back, not till he hears his voice calling him. He motions for Tora to place his bento at the side, frowning at a particular bit he has yet to figure out.

“Saga-san.”

His voice is stern enough that it startles Saga, and he looks up to see Tora standing next to him in the booth, his eyes dark with worry and with a bento box in his hand.

“You’re going to eat now,” Tora says firmly. “Put that aside. You know you need to eat. Don’t make me force-feed you.”

Saga slumps in his chair, smiling weakly. “You’d do that, wouldn’t you? I know. Thank you very much, Tora-san.”

He takes a bit of time to chat a little bit to Tora, though he does eat his bento as quickly as he can. He nearly chokes even, but Tora is quick to pass him water and pat his back. Tora eats slower than he does, looking at him with concerned eyes the whole time.

“I’m fine, you know. Really,” Saga says. “Like Reita said, it’s happened a few times before. Don’t worry about it.”

“All right,” Tora says. “I guess I’ll be off soon, then. The drinks are on that table there, remember to hydrate properly. Do you want me to pick you up when you’re done?”

“That’ll be like… four in the morning or something! No, it’s okay, really. Trust me,” Saga grins. “If we finish early, I’ll just nap here, and take the first train back. Don’t worry so much, all right?”

There is still obvious worry in Tora’s face, but it has eased a little bit. “I’ll cook meals for you tomorrow, then. To make up for today,” he says lightly.

“Sure. Thank you so much, Tora. You’ve helped so much, and I couldn’t be more thankful,” Saga says.

“Come back safely and in one piece, that’s how you can be more thankful,” Tora says, and then he playfully ruffles Saga’s hair. “Goodnight, and good luck with your work.”

“Thank you. Sleep well tonight, Tora-san,” Saga says.

Tora leaves after that, looking less reluctant than he used to. Saga feels strange watching him go - there’s relief that Tora’s safe and won’t be stuck here with him, but there’s also a little loneliness there. Still, he has his work to focus on.

“You like him a lot, don’t you?” Reita observes quietly.

Saga frowns. “And?”

“I’m just saying. And… he clearly cares a lot about you. Even with the whole… manservant thing,” Reita replies.

Saga shrugs, and replies with heat in his voice, “Even so, it means nothing. There are rules, we can’t… I can’t make ‘inappropriate advances’ on him, I’m not supposed to build a relationship with him.“

“Even after the contract is over? I mean, technically you’d be free from those rules, wouldn’t you? So why don’t you ask him out?”

Saga pauses in his work. Huh. “I don’t know,” he says evasively. “I’ll have to… think. I don’t know, really. Get back to work.”

It’s a thought he’s nursed for a little bit, and Reita actually voiced it. It seems… likely. He doesn’t know the exact nature of those rules, though. But Tora’s wonderful. That, or Saga’s just desperate.

No, Tora is quite wonderful, Saga decides, when his phone buzzes at midnight with a simple text message from Tora: “Keep working hard!” with an unexpectedly cute kaomoji. Reita teases him about it, and Saga grins back as he replies with a thank you, cheeks warming in the coldness of the room.

 


	4. Friday

Tora doesn't want to admit it, but he's worried sick. He hates that Saga has had to work overtime and overnight, sleeping in his office, taking the first train home... It all just sounds so unfair and tiring. But Saga has ordered him to go home... Well, more like insisted for his benefit.

He receives another call from Aoi, assures him that all is well, and hangs up. He can barely fall asleep, at least not before he texts Saga and receives another in return. He continues playing a game on his phone till he's sleepy, and puts it away.

It's maybe six in the morning when he jolts awake to the sound of the door opening. It's only Saga in the doorway, after all.

"Oh. Hey, I'm sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up," Saga murmurs. "Just got back. Wanted to make sure you're sleeping well."

"Saga-san, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just tired. Finished everything. Goodnight," Saga mumbles, and closes the door.

Tora blinks drowsily, assured that Saga's home. He stands and goes to Saga's room just to make sure that he's safely in bed, and sees him flopped face down on it, the blanket pushed aside. Tora gently pulls it over him before padding back to his own bed, smiling as he falls asleep again.

He awakens by nine, stretching on the futon. It’s a Friday, and Saga’s allowed to go in after lunch, so he can let Saga sleep in longer. As usual, he washes up and changes in under half an hour, dressing in much more comfortable house clothes today. He’s glad he packed them after all.

He checks in on Saga after he’s done, seeing him curled up on his side with the blanket pulled up to his nose. He can’t help but smile at that, before quietly closing the door and going back outside. He makes toast, and a cup of coffee, for himself, watching the television while he’s at it.

It’s not so bad a routine, frankly, close to what he does at home. Of course, there are the added benefits of his own games and laptop and cat, but when he has free days, he often lazes around at home, catching up on sleep and playing games and reading, and reading up on his weekly teaching volunteer work.

Today, Tora continues with his games, keeping the volume low so as not to wake Saga. His phone’s alarm rings at eleven, and he pauses the game to go wake Saga up. Saga’s still curled up on his side, and Tora gently shakes him awake.

“Hey. It’s time you got up for work,” he says softly.

Saga blinks slowly at him as he wakes up. “Tora...” he says, voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. “Morning...”

Tora immediately puts a hand to Saga’s forehead, and is alarmed at how hot it feels. “You shouldn’t be going to work!” he exclaims.

“But… but I… I still have things to do...” Saga whispers, pushing himself up.

Tora glares at him as he snatches up his phone, to Saga’s weak protest. “I’m calling in sick for you. Who do I call?”

Saga narrows his eyes. “Give that back,” he says, with a sniffle.

“You’re in no condition to work. I’m going to call in sick for you,” Tora says. “Go on. Who’s your boss?”

Saga frowns. “Can I at least be the one to make the call?”

Tora hands the phone back to him, and soon Saga’s on the phone with his manager. “Hey, Gakki-kun… Do I really sound like shit? ...yes, I’m calling in sick, sorry... I wanted to come but Tora insisted… what? Shut up, no… yeah, okay, got it. I will. Thank you... Yeah, bye.”

When he hangs up, he’s pouting at Tora. “Happy?”

“Yes. Now, you’re able to shower on your own, right?” Tora asks sternly.

Saga’s cheeks turn noticeably redder (and not with fever, Tora thinks). “Y-yes, of course I can! Why?”

“Go shower and get changed. I’m going to take you to the doctor. Don’t tell me you don’t need to, you’ll need a medical certificate or something at least, don’t you?” Tora says.

“Eh… Gakki’s actually pretty cool about it. But then again… there are the bosses, and they’ll probably want records. Ugh. Fine,” Saga sighs.

At least he’s still able to pout and talk, which is a comfort. Tora grins at him. “Well, I’ll go fix you a quick meal, and then we’ll be off to the doctor’s.”

Saga nods sullenly before Tora turns back towards the kitchen, to cook some porridge for Saga. Stirring the pot, he starts to think about yesterday’s incident before lunchtime. How Saga saw his colleague talking to him, immediately freezing and looking decidedly upset for a moment before he put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Tora thinks about how he never would have accepted the lady’s offer anyway.

He’s not stupid. He knows what it means, he knows very well that Saga most likely harbours more than a general, friendly fondness for him. After all, he feels the same way.

It’s more than the fact that Saga is so incredibly attractive - Tora’s surprised he doesn’t have a lover already, and in fact, Tora reckons that had they met in a club or something, it’s probable that they’d have gone to a love hotel or one of their apartments for a one night stand.

And well, Saga’s just so kind and gentle and awkward. Three days and counting of continued, close interaction with him has only strengthened Tora’s budding feelings for him. At the very least, Tora thinks, the company doesn’t expressly forbid relationships between a client and a manservant, so long as the contract is already over. Maybe it’s a little frowned upon, sure, but there are no hard and fast rules concerning post-contract interaction.

The sound of the bubbling pot brings Tora back to the present. He hurriedly turns off the stove, and after some more stirring, pours some into a bowl and grabs a spoon, before placing it on the table. Saga comes out a few minutes later, dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, still looking pale.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, as Tora pulls out his chair for him.

Saga slowly begins eating. It’s only a simple dish with negi and umeboshi added, but Saga seems to genuinely like it.

“Ohh. This tastes great, Tora!” he says, and then coughs a little. “Ah, I wish I could taste your cooking more often.”

Tora takes a moment before he replies slowly, “It’s not like that’s impossible.”

The hand holding the spoon stills, as Saga looks up at him.. “Not… impossible? You mean?”

Tora looks at the table, trying to collect his thoughts before turning back to face Saga. “It’s not like I’m not allowed to stay in contact with you after the contract ends. And… we don’t live so far from each other. It’s… it’s okay if you’d like me to cook for you more. And things.”

And then Saga nods, a faint smile on his lips. "I'd like that a lot."

Tora lets out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in, and smiles back at Saga wordlessly. He takes the bowl when it’s empty, and puts another hand to Saga's forehead. It’s still as hot as before.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” Saga says softly.

“I’m worried,” Tora says. “Let’s go then.”

Saga informs him that the nearest clinic is down the street, and they make their way there. Saga falls asleep on his shoulder as they wait, which is both cute and proof that Saga is really not alright. Tora gently nudges Saga when his number’s flashed on the screen, and Saga thanks him before going in alone.

Tora passes the time by playing a game on his phone, and Saga comes out later smiling a little at him. “It’s not much. Just a fever and a mild cold, probably brought on by exhaustion,” he says.

“Still not good,” Tora says quietly. “It’s not fun seeing you sick or anything.”

It’s a few seconds later when Saga says, “I worried you, didn’t I? And I’ve been whiny and unappreciative of your efforts to take care of me. I’m sorry. And… thank you, honestly. You’ve done a lot for me.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Tora assures him. “Don’t worry about it. Just get well soon and maybe we can spend a great day out tomorrow. I’ll even order pizza for you.”

Saga’s smile is wide and surprised, and he nods. “Yes sir, I’ll be good today,“ he giggles, and Tora can’t help the blush that spreads onto his cheek.

Soon enough, Saga collects his medicine, and they head straight home. Saga is compliant when Tora tells him to take his medicine, but a bit less so when Tora tells him to put his phone away.

“Aw, come on. I’m not a child!” Saga whines, before he gives another sniff.

“You’re certainly acting like one,” Tora replies with a laugh. “How do you deal when you’re sick, anyway?”

“I don’t get sick often! The last time I was, I was just down with a cold for a couple of days and I just went about my usual routine after popping some pills. And before that, well… I was still living with my parents!” Saga responds in protest.

Tora shakes his head. “I told you, you need to take better care of yourself. Now, put your phone away there and actually get some more sleep.”

“Okay, okay. As you wish,” Saga says teasingly, and adds with a smirk, “You’re quite bossy, aren’t you? Not that I don’t like it.”

It’s embarrassing how, this time, it seems to be Tora’s turn to flush red at the neck at Saga’s words. Saga’s definitely a little bolder now, after Tora’s implication that they can remain in contact afterwards. Tora likes it, though. At least they aren’t tiptoeing too carefully around it now that their intentions are clear.

Tora slips out of Saga’s room after that, and goes back to the kitchen. He cooks another meal for himself, finding himself missing Saga’s presence and their light banter over meals. He’d been hoping to cook a good meal or two for Saga, starting from the night before, but to think that his plans have been dashed.

He continues playing games after he’s washed the dishes, and it’s another few hours before Saga walks out to the living room, yawning. He’s stripped down to only his boxers, and Tora catches himself staring a little bit, before he turns away to look at the kitchen doorway.

"It was hot," Saga says, his voice sounding a bit clearer.

"I didn't say anything," Tora says carefully. "Anyway, have you rested well?"

"Yeah, thanks," Saga replies with a nod. “You were right after all. I couldn’t have worked like this… It’d have been terrible if I fell asleep at the mixing console or something.”

Tora refrains from telling him _told you so_ , but he’s sure it reflects on his face, judging from the way that Saga wrinkles his nose at him. Saga walks towards him and sits down on the armchair, legs casually crossed.

“Well, I’m feeling much better now! I want to play Winning Eleven,” he declares.

“Are you up for it?” Tora teases. “What if you fall asleep while playing?”

“Carry me back to bed then,” Saga retorts, grinning.

To Tora’s credit, he doesn’t blush again. “Fine. After that, I want to play Call of Duty,” he says, and takes out the other controller, handing it to Saga.

Tora can tell that Saga’s good, playing with a focus and intensity that’s reminiscent of his working behaviour. But Tora’s been playing games for as long as he can remember, too - he knows he’s just as good, at least, if not better.

The next few hours thus pass in a cacophony of swears, cheers, and noises from the games themselves, occasionally punctuated by several coughs and sniffles from Saga. Saga is passionate as hell about Winning Eleven and it’s a close match, but Tora eventually wins, if by a rather narrow margin. Saga sulks for a while, pouting up at Tora, before Tora loads the next game. This one, Tora’s good at. Saga’s decent, but he loses by a wider margin this time.

“Hey, Tora… it hurts,” Saga’s voice whines suddenly.

Tora immediately drops the controller, turning to Saga. “Are you okay?”

Saga laughs, then, sticking his tongue out. “Hah! Got you distracted, didn’t I?” he grins, then adds, “Well, my thumb does hurt a little from playing for so long...”

Tora stares at Saga in disbelief for a few seconds, before he laughs, too. “You’re terrible, taking advantage of me like that,” he says, and picks up the controller again.

“I’m hungry, though. For real,” Saga says. “I want to eat something, and no, no more porridge.”

Tora rolls his eyes. “And how’s your nose and throat?”

“I’m fine!” Saga says, and as if on cue, he sneezes again.

“Nope, porridge for you. And because I’m not a horrible, evil guy, we’re both eating porridge to make it fair, okay?” Tora says, and pauses the game, setting down his controller.

When they actually do start eating, however, Saga no longer complains, and continues chatting with Tora. Tora notes how his voice sounds much better than it did in the morning, and feels relief surge through him. Of course, it is only a cold, but it’s still good to know that Saga’s feeling better than he did.

“Hey. Let’s watch a movie,” Saga decides. “I’ve got some DVDs, mostly action flicks… you want that? Oh, and there’s a soccer match later tonight! I want to watch it, too.”

“Yeah, sure. We’ll watch whatever you like,” Tora agrees. “Go take your medicine and pick something while I wash the dishes.”

By the time Tora’s done, Saga’s got the remote in his hand, sitting on the couch and looking up at Tora expectantly, patting the space next to him. Tora settles down, pulling a cushion to his lap. They sit close - not so near that their bodies are touching, but enough. Tora feels content.

Saga’s perky and engrossed for the first half of the movie, but Tora notices that he starts nodding off soon after. He makes valiant efforts to stay up and even rewinds the movie apologetically in an attempt to catch up with what he’s missed.

He pauses the movie when Tora’s phone rings - it’s another call from Aoi. Tora reports that he’s been taking care of Saga who fell ill, and as usual, all is well, before he continues. Saga smiles at him after that, and continues the movie.

By the climax of the movie, however, Saga’s head has drooped onto Tora’s shoulder, his arms held loosely at his side, one hand splayed on Tora’s leg. Tora pokes Saga’s chest gently, but Saga appears sound asleep.

Tora remembers what Saga said the previous morning about not usually falling asleep outside of his bed, and can’t help but giggle to himself. Gently, he moves away, and Saga slumps down onto the sofa, curling on his side.

Once again Tora bends to carry Saga in his arms. Of course, he hasn’t changed, and it does funny things to his own feelings, feeling Saga’s bare upper body against his arms. He brings him to his room, anyway. Saga doesn’t wake at all throughout the encounter, and Tora’s content to leave him in his bed, wrapped in his blankets. He smiles and quietly walks out from the room.

Later, though, at two in the morning, he gets up to use the bathroom and promptly spots the glow of the television in the living room. Saga’s sitting there, watching intently, and no longer covered in the blanket.

“Hey,” Saga says. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. I’m fine, go back to sleep.”

Tora points to the bathroom, nodding, and Saga returns an understanding look. After Tora comes out though, he thinks, what the hell, and goes over to watch soccer with Saga anyway. Saga has a can of beer in his hand and Tora admonishes him lightly, to which Saga just grins and offers the can.

“You’re sick,” Tora murmurs. “Don’t get me sick too.”

“Told you, I’m fine,” Saga says playfully, and drinks from the can.

Saga seems very much awake, focused on watching the match. Tora has never had that huge an interest in soccer - he’s about okay with it, just not like Saga, catching it in the middle of the night.

And just like Saga, it’s not easy to stave off sleep, and it isn’t long before Tora, too, falls asleep on Saga’s couch.


	5. Saturday

Saga notices it when Tora dozes off next to him, arms crossed and head nodding. Unfortunately for him, he's not as strong as Tora, so he can't quite possibly carry him back. Saga unwraps the blanket from around himself, and drapes one half over Tora, the other over himself. He’s still a little cold, after all.

He manages to suppress a cheer when his team wins, careful not to wake Tora up. Quietly, he switches off the television, and leaves the blanket with him, before creeping back to his room. He decides to pull on a t-shirt for good measure before going back to sleep, curling on his side.

When he wakes up in the morning, however, what he finds is that his blanket is covering him once more. Looking at his phone, he also realises that it’s ten on Saturday morning already. He feels much better than he did yesterday - he’s much more alert, his nose feels clear, and his throat no longer itches.

After washing up, he walks out to the living room. He sees Tora in the kitchen, cooking something that smells sweet. Saga leans against the wall, watching him. It’d be nice if this was a more permanent arrangement, he thinks, but Tora’s going to leave later tonight, after nine. But if his words the day before  were anything to go by… It might be a bit more permanent, after all.

Saga’s known all his life how to tell if someone likes him, and he knows that Tora feels the same way about him. Which is a relief, but he has to wait at least eleven more hours before he can kiss Tora silly or something.

“Good morning,” Saga grins. “What’s for breakfast?”

Tora turns back and beams at him. “Good morning! Looking better today. It’s pancakes. My mum and grandmother used to make them for me, so I thought… it’d be nice.”

Saga helps to set the cutlery, and in practically no time at all the two of them are sitting down to fluffy pancakes drizzled with butter and honey. They taste as good as anything Tora’s cooked for him, sweet and soft, and Saga eats quickly.

“Hey, so,” Tora begins, after they’re finished with the pancakes and have washed the dishes, “what do you want to do today?”

Saga leans back against the counter, frowning slightly. "Honestly? I tend to meet up with Nao and Shou at one of our places - this week it's Nao's - and we catch up, play games, go drinking at night... Of course, you're welcome to come along, but... If you don't want to it's okay, I can cancel today and we can just hang out somewhere else?"

“No, no, it sounds like a good plan!" Tora smiles. “Though… after that… we’ll have to go back to my company. Sign papers and all.”

“And… after that?” Saga asks carefully, meeting Tora’s eyes.

Tora's smile turns a little shy, then, making him look rather adorable. "I'm off work, then. Contract's over."

Saga nods, and beams up at him. "Well then, let's get ready, shall we? Nao will be expecting us."

Saga calls Nao to inform him that Tora is joining them, and Nao tells him, in turn, that Shou and Hiroto are out on a date while Arisa is out with her friends, so it'll be just the three of them. Tora and Saga are out of the house half an hour later, both dressed simply in t-shirts and jeans.

Saga decides to mention what Nao told him about Shou and Hiroto. Tora raises an eyebrow, though he smiles. "That's really nice for them."

"Yeah... Shou seems happy, too, he texted me yesterday," Saga recalls. "Good to know it's all okay."

"Yeah, of course. Like I said, such, ah, closeness is only forbidden while the contract is still in effect. It’d be awkward if we accidentally broke prostitution laws or something," Tora says. "It's not like we're some... public idol group of sorts with crazy contracts saying we can't date ever."

"Good, good, I wouldn't want to be attacked by jealous girls or something," Saga jokes.

Tora grins, as he continues to drive them to Nao's house. "I'd never let anyone I was with be attacked!"

"Until it's an insect," Saga teases.

"Oi, s-shut up," Tora mutters quickly, his cheeks turning a little red.

Saga laughs at that, lightly poking Tora's arm. He quite appreciates the lean, tough muscle on his frame, he thinks. It's really cute how someone who appears so calm and even scary is scared of insects, he thinks.

They talk about several things on the way, especially more about Saga's friendship with Nao and Shou. Tora seems genuinely interested in them, and says he'd like to meet Shou again in a friendly capacity this time.

By the time they pull up in front of Nao's family home, Saga has regaled Tora with a considerable number of stories about their group, and Tora's been laughing along with him, his spirits markedly high.

Nao welcomes them with huge smiles, hugging Saga and shaking Tora's hand. He then declares that he's bought pizza for lunch, to which Saga responds by practically running into the kitchen to get some for himself.

Tora looks exasperated and says, "You were sick yesterday!"

"You promised!" Saga says, chomping on a slice. "Anyway, I'm all better now. So I'll eat as much pizza as I want."

"Ugh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered buying pizza," Nao says, shaking his head but laughing anyway.

Tora smiles at Saga anyway, clearly faking his annoyance, and he takes a slice for himself anyway. Saga swallows his last bite, taking the next slice, and sticks his tongue out at Tora playfully.

-

They don't actually end up gaming all that much, because Nao loses to them rather miserably and it's not quite so fun anymore. Well, no, it's still fun, but no one wants to leave Nao out, and they watch a couple of movies instead.

Nao picks out a romantic comedy ("Wait, why do you have that?" Saga asks, and Nao replies, flustered, that it belongs to Arisa and it was actually pretty cute). And of course Nao leaves Tora and Saga to sit together, citing a stomachache halfway through.

There's a beach scene, with a number of extremely good-looking guys with amazing physiques. Saga offhandedly remarks, "Ooh, they're so hot!"

"You think so?" Tora says, and there's just a degree of coolness to his tone.

Saga turns to him, mildly surprised. "Are you jealous?" he smirks.

Tora glares ineffectively at him, muttering, "I just don't think they're that hot. I mean, they are, I guess, just not... Not as attractive as you seem to think."

“You are jealous!” Saga laughs, wide eyed and beaming and punching Tora’s shoulder lightly. “No, I don’t like guys just because they’re wildly attractive with great muscles. I mean, it helps, but it’s not the main factor.”

“What is your type?” Tora asks, his gaze piercing.

Saga licks his lip, considering seriously. “Frankly, someone who’s kind and generous and sweet. It helps, if he can cook...” he replies slowly, glancing at Tora. “Someone who really treats me well, someone who understands me and isn’t turned off by, like… me being weird and awkward. Maybe... Someone tall, dark and handsome with pretty eyes and a gorgeous voice, who is also really a softie inside.”

He's looking at Tora from the corner of his eye the whole time, and he notices Tora's cheeks reddening. Tora's trying to look away, but he keeps glancing at Saga with an oddly bashful look on his face.

"Hey, do you have a particular type, then?" Saga asks lightly.

Tora turns those eyes on him, then, a slightly amused smile playing on his lips. "Me? Well... I've always liked someone shorter than me."

"Oh, very informative," Saga says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Says the guy who's literally the tallest Japanese person I've ever met."

"You asked," Tora says with a bright grin, and then, voice going a little more serious, says, "I like someone kind and gentle and calm. And, like you said, somebody who understands me. And I guess I just... have a bit of a protective streak. I want to be the one taking care of the other."

Saga doesn't really know if this is too much, if maybe they're already breaking rules. But he's kind of hopelessly in love with Tora and he wants to kiss him and go out with him on a proper date.

Tora's looking at him and Saga knows he's feeling the same way, and really, all they have to do is cross the short distance on the couch.

And then Nao walks in, saying, "Hey, what'd I miss?"

Saga sits back up, looking at the screen again, as does Tora. Nao suddenly looks vaguely mortified, and he mutters, "Oh God, did I interrupt something?"

"No, uh, it's okay!" Saga says quickly, and then adds, "Did you actually have a stomachache?"

Nao blinks, mortification turning into confusion. "Yeah, I think I ate too much or something. Why?"

Tora catches Saga's eye and they both flush and smile at each other. "Nothing. Please, sit down," Tora says.

-

Dinner is cooked by Tora and Nao, with Saga hanging around and waiting, since there really isn’t much for him to do, at least not till Arisa comes home and the two of them lounge around the living room, watching whatever is showing on TV.

He passes the kitchen on the way to the bathroom, just near enough to catch a snippet of conversation between his two friends. “You’ll treat him well, won’t you?“ Nao’s saying, his voice serious.

“I will,” Tora says, voice equally serious. “I really like Saga a lot.”

Saga finds himself blushing to the tips of his ears, and quickly dashes off to the bathroom. It’s nice, hearing it said like that, confessed so baldly to someone else. When he comes back his face still feels warm, and Arisa asks about it - or more specifically, asks about Tora.

“Yeah, I like him very much,” Saga says, hugging a cushion close to his chest. “His contract’s ending tonight so I can properly ask him out after that - or the other way around - but right now… well, we’re trying very hard not to break the rules.”

Arisa smiles gently at him, patting his arm. “That’s nice. You are Nao’s best friend, and we want you to be happy.”

Saga pulls the cushion a little closer to his chin, smiling. “I know. Thanks, Arisa.”

In another half an hour, dinner’s ready to be served. Saga sits down to a meal of rice, meat stew, vegetables and fish. He’s seated next to Tora, and Tora shyly admits that he cooked most of the meat stew. Which is Saga’s favourite out of the dishes there, coincidentally. He also makes a bad joke about eating Tora’s meat which makes Tora blush, Arisa laugh, and Nao choke on his own bite of meat and then scold Saga for making dirty jokes at the dinner table.

Unfortunately, Tora and Saga have to leave for Tora’s company afterwards, but Nao just winks at them and sends them on their way. Tora drives to Saga’s home to pack and gather his belongings. He dresses once more in his suit as Saga changes to a plain shirt and slacks, feeling supremely uncomfortable, and then they are on their way to the company.

It’s located in the heart of Tokyo, the building like any one of the business towers next to it. Tora seems to slip into his “servant” mode, looking at ease among the working professionals streaming in and out of the company, and taking the elevator with them. Saga, on the other hand, feels distinctly out of place, knowing how different he is from everyone around them.

They step out to the seventeenth storey - and of course, the company owns an entire floor as its headquarters. Saga feels even more nervous, seeing a few of the other servants walk in and out, nodding and smiling at Tora, before glancing at Saga. He avoids their gazes, looking steadfastly at the back of Tora’s shoes.

The office isn’t ostentatious and garish, no - everything is in varying shades of cream and brown, the lighting warm. The furnishings are obviously expensive, but tasteful, all simple silhouettes and rich materials. The carpeting is a simple grey and black pattern, but feels lush under his (poorly scuffed) shoes.

He almost doesn’t notice it when Tora opens a door for him, bowing. “This way, my lord.”

Saga murmurs out his thanks, looking straight ahead and meeting the gaze of another man. His hair is black and brown, longish, with long steepled fingers and a piercing, thoughtful gaze. Saga feels like his entire history with Tora over the past week is being read from his mind, and he clenches his fist as he sits down.

It’s only when Tora sits down next to him that Saga feels a modicum of reassurance and safety. After this, he thinks. Then they’ll be able to go out together.

“Aoi-san,” Tora says. “My lord, Saga-san.”

Aoi smiles, then, warm and kind. Saga still feels tense, gazing sharply at Aoi. Tora’s boss, obviously.

“Saga-san, I hope you have been well-served by Tora, and that he has been a satisfactory manservant to you throughout this period?” Aoi asks.

Saga nods, blurting out, “He’s been a wonderful companion.”

He sees the way Tora’s eyes dart to him, a flicker of worry, and Saga bites his lip. He wonders if he’s said too much, and thinks, what the hell. It’s true, Tora’s been a friend to him, and he wants to take things further.

“That’s good,” Aoi says, nodding. “It’s not uncommon for our clients to become friends with their manservants during the time they are together. Or more, after. Of course, that is not my concern. I don’t really care about whatever happens after the contract ends, that’s their private lives then, no?”

“Ah… yes,” Saga says, flushing slightly.

Aoi smiles at him, and Tora mutters, “I thought you’d be - harsher.”

Aoi raises an eyebrow. “Come on, Tora, I’m not such an asshole. Other managers might be iffy, but… hey, it’s not like we expressly forbid romances after the contracts. I follow those rules. So does, as it seems, Hiroto.”

Tora grins then. “Oh. Him and Shou are a thing, I’ve heard.”

“He told you?”

“Oh, Shou happens to be my friend. Who told Nao about this,” Saga explains, waving a hand, “and hired Tora for me...”

“It’s a small world,” Aoi chuckles, and then takes a clipboard from his drawer, passing it to Tora and Saga. “Anyway, just sign this and you guys can go on your merry way.”

The papers state an end to the contract, satisfactory performance, and the like. Saga completes the form in a matter of minutes, as does Tora, and then they push the clipboard back to Aoi. Aoi smiles and waves them off, and Saga fights the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl once they’re out of Aoi’s office.

Tora takes his hand. God, that’s nice, Saga thinks, grinning at him, as they head to the elevator.

“So, uh,” Tora says. “Wanna go for drinks? Or just… out?”

Saga does, actually, giggle like a schoolgirl then, and says, “Yeah, I think, out’s nice. Or if you want we can have another gaming marathon.”

“Of course that’s your idea for a first date,” Tora says.

“You can’t tell me you don’t like it,” Saga retorts, sticking his tongue out playfully.

“Maybe you can come to my place, then. I’ve got a lot of games too,” Tora offers.

By this time, they’ve exited the building, and are standing around the car. Saga nods, and then adds, “By the way, I’ve got something I’ve wanted to do for the whole week.”

“Hm? This?” Tora says, smiling knowingly.

Right after he says that, he leans forward, hand cupping Saga’s cheek, and dips his head lower, kissing Saga. Saga wraps his arms around Tora’s neck, tasting Tora’s lips, feeling their softness and warmth against his own, and willingly parts his lips when Tora’s tongue peeks out, licking Saga’s lower lip.

Tora breaks the kiss first, smiling at him with unbridled joy and emotion shining in his hazel eyes. Saga thinks he’s gorgeous and perfect, and then Tora’s kissing him again, as sweet and gentle as the first.

“Shall we go?” Saga says breathlessly as he pulls away to breathe.

Tora replies with a smile as bright as day, and another kiss, this time quickly on Saga’s lips, against which he murmurs, “As you wish.”


End file.
